Wake In the Clouds
by Atemusluckygal
Summary: It's been too long after Atem had left her world, and it seems time is standing still, hardly moving at all. The only thing Tea wished for was to see him again. She may be granted her wish, though not quite how she expects. YamixTea. Read & review!
1. Empty Space

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!.**

Again, this is going to be an adventure for not only Tea, but the author of this story as well! This is going to be more of an adventure/supernatural story... haven't decided how long it's going to be yet. But whatever content it will contain, it will be a bit different from my other stories.

And of course, it will contain romance. No story of mine is complete without some element of it, right?

I just urge you to be patient. I have a paper due Monday and a bigger paper due Thursday. Bear with me.

Read and review, please!

ALG

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

The clock had just turned 11pm, closing time for Burger World.

Tea walked nimbly around the small burger joint, looking for something productive to do for someone. The lingering customers just ate away, no one requiring her services. She was closing tonight, so she had to wait until all the customers leave. Thankfully, Lula, her manager, stepped out of the kitchens with her heavy coat on. She made a quick announcement to the crowd.

"Excuse me please, everyone, may I have your attention for a quick second – it is 11pm and Burger World will be closing soon, so please wrap up your meals. Have a good night." With one weary smile flashed at Tea, Lula was gone.

Tea leaned against the register on her elbows, wiping her tired eyes. She had been working since right after school, at 2pm, and she was exhausted. The night seemed to drag on – it felt like she had been waitressing for much longer than 9 hours.

She wondered why this day seemed to drag on so long, compared to other 9-hour shift days she'd had before. She had nothing to look forward to that night, except to go home and do her biology homework. There was no one waiting for her. She had no more important things to do for today. And yet, despite her standing in a small restaurant with other people, an empty feeling of loneliness and despair flowed freely through her heart. This was similar to the feeling when Duke left Domino to tour the world with Maximillion Pegasus, showcasing his own original game, Dungeon Dice Monsters. Only, it wasn't quite the same.

She missed someone.

She missed Atem.

Ever since that fateful day, when she watched him disappear into a door-portal into the world that he _truly_ belonged in, away from her – away from everyone – time seemed to slither on by, like a snail on dry cement. A day didn't feel like a day to her anymore; it more felt approximately seven days, or even ten days. While she kept up in school and her waitressing job, she felt like absolute empty space. It was then, in the midst of this slowly-moving time and space continuum, she realized that she had fallen for the former pharaoh much harder than she had previously thought.

_I wish that I could see him again_, she thought, _even if just one more time… please hear my plea, Gods, grant me my wish..._

Tea suddenly felt her throat tighten and warmth tickled her face – she then realized with great dismay that she was crying… in front of a customer waiting to pay his check.

"Excuse me miss, are you alright?"

Tea swallowed hard, attempting to push back her emotions once again, as she had been doing for the past two years.

"Yeah I'm fine. That will be $10.87, please."

Tea glanced at the clock – 11:47pm just rolled by, and the last customer was finishing his meal, alone. He was an older man, in his 60's perhaps, with plenty of scraggly grey facial hair. His eyes always seemed to be searching for something… something he had been looking for a long time. He carried an aura of longing and discontent, which became more noticeable by Tea as he approached the register.

"Good evening, that will be $11.09, please."

The man just stared at her, staring straight into her eyes with his sharp, but fatigued, hazel. He placed his hands on the counter.

"You look lost, my dear."

Tea was startled, quickly recollecting where she currently was – Burger World, 1601 Autumn St, Domino. Seven blocks west from her house, two blocks southeast from that sketchy warehouse in which she was almost mugged and raped…

When she first noticed Yami's existence, when he saved her…

"Oh, I am not lost, sir. That will be $11.09."

The man did not budge. Something was emanating from him, something ethereal and strange. His eyes were watery from their dryness.

"That is not what I mean, young one. I've been wandering this earth for centuries, searching for something to get me through the rest of eternity. My children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren have long since lived and died. There is no greater torment than roaming a place in which you don't exist, nor have a purpose. _That_, my dear, is being utterly lost."

A tear escaped his eyes and slid slowly down his face, clinging to his jaw line.

Tea's eyes softened; though she thought he was slightly crazy, she understood that this man was indeed chagrined over something, and needed some comfort.

"Uhhh… I am sorry. Don't worry about your check, I can cover it."

He smiled slightly, though his face was still heavy with despair.

"Tell me, my dear, what are you searching for?"

The young waitress was puzzled on how exactly to respond. Something about him made her want to tell him everything, but she knew he probably would not understand once it started to become more supernatural.

"I miss someone very dearly, and I'm searching to fill a hole in my heart from his absence." That was honest and vague enough, she thought.

"He is… in the heavens?"

She nodded. He returned her nod with a look of understanding.

"You love him."

Again, Tea nodded, with a small sigh to follow. She envisioned his face and body, sculpted by angels, and empowered by the Gods themselves. She could even hear his voice speaking nothings to her, in his rich, deep voice that was smoother than honey. She thought of his kindness, bravery, and selflessness. It made her heart heavy with ache, knowing that she once knew him, once stood at his side… once felt his touch… his heavenly touch that spread immeasurable warmth throughout her body.

The man seemed to notice her grief, and his gaze softened.

"You will see him again… sooner than you think."

Tea briefly mulled over those words, staring at the man in wonder. What was he saying? How could he possibly know?

The man removed his hands from the counter and turned towards the door, tear still hanging on his chin.

"Wait!" she pleaded, reaching out for him over the counter. She completely froze, mind and body in total shock, at what she saw.

Her hand passed right through him.

She could only watch in awe as he strolled out the door, tears now falling freely from his face, and fading away in the air long before they could reach the ground. The cold air that passed through her fingers from when she tried to make contact him was still lingering slightly.

"Who _was_ that man?

**-To Be Continued-**


	2. An Extra Shot

**Another chapter for ya'll. Again, finals week(s). Be patient. :-)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

After checking that the dishes and trays were washed and put away, counters and floors clean, money in the register accounted for, it was time for Tea to turn off the lights, lock up the doors, and finally head home. It was 12:03am. Her Geography midterm was at 9 in the morning. She still had to study… and finish that biology homework.

"Guess I'll need a coffee," Tea groaned. "Or maybe three."

Luckily for her, Dominica Coffee & Tea was right across the street, and its doors were open until 1am. She sighed, having visited this coffee shop regularly enough so that most of the employees recognized her and memorized her order. A medium vanilla latte with a double shot of espresso.

Dominica was warm and quiet – no one present except for Adrian behind the counter, Tea's classmate in her English and Geography class. Adrian, a transfer student from Mérida, Venezuela, was perhaps one of the nicest people she'd ever known at Domino City College. Most students at DCC, aside from Adrian, Tea, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Bakura, were mainly the not-as-nice graduates of Domino High – the ones who weren't ambitious enough to apply to a 4-year university, though some of them could probably afford it.

"Hey Adrian," Tea greeted her Venezuelan friend, who was smiling back at her. His usually lively brown eyes were fatigued and blinking slowly.

"Hey Tea. What can I get ya?"

"The usual. Add an extra shot for me."

A grin spread across Adrian's face as he took a sharpie and scribbled something on a medium-sized coffee cup. "Have you studied for Hovak's midterm yet?"

"No…" she groaned. She handed him a five dollar bill.

"Me neither. It shouldn't be too bad, though. She likes to hype up her tests and then give us a break once we actually take them."

"Yeah, I'm sure if we just skim through the chapters, we'll be okay."

Adrian turned on the blender, and the two temporarily ceased their conversation. It was getting later, and Tea was getting more tired, but the night still wasn't over. And yet, even with the long night ahead of her, she couldn't get one thing out of her mind.

That mysterious man who talked to her earlier.

Or was he a man? She distinctly remembered her hand passing right through his body – air passing through her fingers where flesh should have been, though he _looked_ as real as she was. It was a daunting possibility that a literal _ghost_ was standing right in front of her.

It didn't seem possible to her. Supernatural things, like monsters coming to life, Millennium Items, super powers, and ancient pharaohs were a thing of the past. Ghosts were of the past.

Atem was technically a ghost. He didn't belong here, in the world of the living, other than to prevent the evil forces from conquering mankind in its relentless rampages. He wasn't here to find love.

He wasn't here to love her. He was of the past, just like everything else.

Tea felt her jaw shaking. Good lord, was she about to cry… _again_?

"Earth to Tea!"

Tea immediately snapped awake. Adrian was standing right in front of her, drink in hand.

"Here's what you ordered – a vanilla latte with not two, but _three_ shots of espresso. Sure seems like you could use 'em." He set it on the table, and sat on the chair across from her.

"Thanks."

"You look really upset. Are you okay?"

Tea felt rather tired of being asked that today, but for some reason, because it was Adrian, it was alright.

"Today was just a long day, and I've just been thinking about stuff."

Adrian, despite looking dreadfully exhausted from his late shift, appeared interested in their conversation. "Like what?"

Tea didn't seem the harm in telling him some of it. If anything, Adrian would probably just try to help her feel better with uplifting words of encouragement, as Yugi would do.

"I just miss someone, is all. He's been gone for about two years."

"Aw, I'm sorry about that, Tea. Was he a good friend of yours?"

She nodded. She found herself again fighting the urges to cry, though she hid it well. Adrian looked away for a bit, seemingly struggling with his own emotions, which puzzled Tea. She had never seen him like this before.

"Seven years ago, before I moved here to Domino, my father fell gravely ill. For weeks my three brothers and I skipped school and helped my mother tend to him, but he died anyway. My brothers and I were sad, but my mother told us something very valuable:

'My sons, do not cry for your father. He is at peace and he will watch over you. He still loves you and will always be with you in your heart, and his spirit will live on in the heavens. Meanwhile, you must hear me when I say, do not mourn excessively for his death, because you will forget to appreciate what is still around you. When you lose touch with reality, that is when you have died as well.'

Thanks to our mother, we were able to go back to school very quickly and still keep up with our studies and our jobs. Most importantly, we still had our father in our hearts while we learned to appreciate everyone else while they are still here."

Silence followed his words, as Tea mulled over them in her head. She felt Adrian's hand cover her own, comforting her. She thought of her family, her mom and dad, and her dog, Charlie. She thought of her friends, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Bakura. She thought of Adrian, sitting right across from her, who has suffered pain unimaginable to her. She felt like she had neglected everyone in the midst of her sulking and moping.

"Thanks for telling me that, Adrian, I know that must be hard for you."

"Yeah, I miss my father. But I can't let my life slow down too much because he is gone, only because then we lose things that we still have, like the people we love that are alive today. It's like Mother said, we would die ourselves if we spent the rest of our lives mourning those who have already passed."

Tea squeezed his hand in appreciation. She had added one more thing on her to-do list for tonight.

"Thanks Adrian. I should go now, there's something I gotta do."

The Venezuelan boy gave her a small smile, eyes still full of emotion. "Yes, go do it, and don't forget to study!"

She smiled back, and exited the coffee shop as she pulled out her cell phone. Speed dial #2, Yugi's cell.

"Eh… hullo?"

"Yugi?"

"Tea? What's up?"

"Crap… sorry, did I wake you?"

"Nah, I'm still studying for Hovak's midterm tomorrow…. erm….. today."

"Oh okay, can I come over? Maybe we can study together?"

"Sure, I could definitely use the help."

"Ha… maybe we can help each other, I don't understand much about this crap either."

"Sure whatever. You on your way?"

"Yeah, I'm just leaving Dominica, I'll be there in five minutes."

"Okay, see ya soon."

"Bye."

The phone clicked. Tea threw her phone back in her purse, feeling excited to see Yugi again, even though she saw him every Monday and Wednesday for class. This was perhaps the first time in months she would get to see him outside of school.

The street lamps were loud, bright, and buzzing, which usually puts Tea on edge, but tonight she didn't care. They only seemed to light the way to the Game Shop, which was only a street away. She could see the front porch lights shining on the doorstep as she neared. Expecting her, Yugi must have turned them on.

The distant sound of reckless driving entered her ears. She however paid no mind to it, as it sounded distant and far away from where she was. As soon as a car's high beams flooded the side of her vision, she felt an enormous force strike her entire body with great velocity.

And then… she felt nothing, and all went dark.

**-To Be Continued-**


	3. Outside of Myself

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!.**

Hooray for obscenely morbid chapters.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

The first, and only, sensation Tea could feel was cold. Every part of her felt as if all warmth had left her body and left her as an ice cold shell. A permanent chill clung to her body like static. It was uncomfortable.

The incident had finally reoccurred in her mind, what had happened moments before. She was walking to Yugi's house – no, more like skipping. She was skipping because she was excited to see Yugi. She wanted to tell him how much she loved and appreciated him as a friend, and how she knew his suffering and that she would be there for him through it all. Even two years from when they lost Atem, it was still a hard time for the whole gang, especially Tea and Yugi. She thought of giving him a big hug as she crossed the street nearing the Game Shop.

After that, she saw a light from her side view. There was an impact. And then, nothing.

It took a few more seconds for Tea to realize that her eyes were still closed. She didn't remember closing them, and she was afraid of what she would see upon opening them. Then again, the overwhelming cold drowning her body with chills was most distracting. There was a presence near her, and she could feel its powerful warmth drawing nearer to her. Enticed as she was, Tea couldn't have been more frightened of what she had yet to see.

Tea finally opened her eyes, and found herself standing – not lying down, as it felt like – in front of a glowing white silhouette. Once her eyes adjusted and the figure's long, flowing white hair cleared, Tea realized that this figure had no eyes, nose, mouth, lips, or ears – its face was a complete blank canvas. A crystalline white dress draped over its body and billowed near the ground, never coming in contact with the earth. It held out a small pale hand, and a female voice entered Tea's ears:

"_I am Sky Angel Una, and I am here to take you home."_

Though Sky Angel Una's voice was the sweetest, most warming voice to have entered her ears, the words uttered by it caused greater distress to develop within her mind. She was surrounded by mysteries, after hardly remembering what had happened before this moment. What on _earth_ was going on?

"I'm sorry, who are you? And I don't need to be taken home; I only live a few blocks away."

The angel's hand never budged from its outward position, and she spoke again, _"You do not live on Earth any longer. You are to come with me to the Heavens, where belong the Deceased of Good Will."_

Tea backed away, truly terrified beyond anything she had ever felt in her life. Hastening her backwards steps, she noticed that, not only did the numbing cold return to her body in the absence of Una's warmth, she felt no sensation of her feet meeting the ground. The asphalt in which she remembered running across earlier felt nothing more than empty air below her feet. At first she reasoned it was due to the numbness of her feet, however then remembering that even when numb, the skin can still feel textures as rough as asphalt, of which she could no longer feel.

"Wh-wh-what are you talking about?" implored Tea, panic now clear in her voice, "Please, Sky Angel Una, tell me what's going on!"

Again, Una did not move, her blank face staring straight at Tea, only her hair swayed in the non-existent wind, and Tea began to wonder if she had angered the angel.

"_I will show you why you must come with me."_

Suddenly, the atmosphere took on a dramatic change. Outlines of trees and streetlamps began to regain their clarity. The familiar park bench in front of the bus stop by Yugi's place appeared in its solitude. She and Yugi used to take bus #13A downtown all the time.

Weeping crept into her ears. It sounded quite familiar, taking her back to the Duelist Kingdom days. Yugi was overcome with desolation, something that wasn't easily forgotten by all whom were there. He lied on his knees, before the entrance to the castle, sobbing and breathing heavily, trying to make the least amount of sound that he could, though the tears were plentiful and flowing freely.

Tea turned around without a second thought, and saw that it was indeed Yugi, crying and hugging a limp body to his in a tight, desperate grip. He was petting his hand on a head of short, brown hair.

Tea jumped in realizing that it was _her_ body Yugi was holding.

Police and paramedics had just arrived on the scene. Bright red and blue lights and loud sirens filled the night air. A police officer had Yugi by the arms and was gently trying to pry him away from Tea's body, which was spotted with blood on her clothes and skin. Yugi refused to let go of her, and resisted with all that he could, crying harder as the officer persisted.

Forgetting all circumstances at the moment, Tea sprung forward to Yugi, frantically waving her arms. "Yugi! I'm right here, I'm fine!" she cried, "Please Yugi, can't you hear me? I'm here, right in front of you!"

She shouted and shouted again to no prevail, Yugi couldn't see her, hear her, or acknowledge her. In a desperate maneuver, she reached forward to grab his shoulders and snap him out of it, and froze in her tracks; for when Yugi finally released his hold on her shoulders, and for her head to flop to the ground below did Tea see what she dreaded was true.

Her eyes were wide open, dull and unseeing. Tea stepped back, horrified at the sight before her. She felt like she was about to collapse. She turned back to the angel, who still had her hand outstretched. "Am I really… dead?"

She turned her head back to the scene, not waiting for an answer. The officer who was helping Yugi before was now leading him away from the scene, and walking right towards her. Tea froze, still in awe that neither of them could see her. They approached her closer and closer until, finally, they passed right through her.

Tea turned back to the angel, one last time. "Okay, I am done. I have seen enough. Please take me away now." She reached forward, grimly noticing her hand a transparent white, similar to Una's. Their hands made contact, and Tea could feel it this time – smooth, silky, warm, godlike skin.

"_I will take you home now."_

Tea took one last look at the scene behind her, just as Grandpa Mutou began comforting his grandson as the paramedics pulled the tarp over her body.

"Yes, please, take me away from here."

**-To Be Continued-**


	4. Space Travel

**Busy busy summer. Please forgive meh.**

**And also read and review, because I will always appreciate that.**

**ALG**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Travelling through the skies with Una felt like a trip in a space shuttle – without the walls, of course. The two spirits rocketed towards the stars, and though Tea could no longer feel sensations such as the cold wind, she could still sense the wind resistance as she travelled through the air at lightening speeds. Smaller and smaller became the streets, houses, and people below her, the city lights became nothing more than tiny dots of light and color, and any field of grass or otherwise plants became small shapes of green.

Tea just wanted to get one last good look of the planet Earth as she ascended – after all, she was never to return again, if she wasn't dreaming.

Like nothing at all, the spirits phased right through the ozone layer and zipped through the stratosphere. The moon and stars illuminated the skies with their bright and beautiful glow. The view up from the ground was _nothing_ compared to this. It was remarkable, being surrounded by all the glorious wonders of outer space. It was all there – the sun, Mercury and all the other planets scattered in their alignment, but all so massive. She was blown away at the sight of Saturn's grand, magnificent rings.

"Wow," was all Tea could say. "This is so beautiful." She thought of all the astronomy majors she knew at Domino City College, only being able to see space through 2-dimensional pictures printed on a textbook or a video documentary from the 70's. When they die, she figured, this journey through space would be everything to them.

"_This is the home of Space Angel Luna. She watches over your solar system and her angelic radiance is reflected in the beauty of space that you are seeing."_

It seemed as though they were bound on a long journey to wherever Una was taking her, so Tea figured it was a good time to ask some questions – questions that have been lingering on her mind since she woke up a body-less spirit.

"Sky Angel Una, why do I feel so cold?"

Una continued to lead the way, not looking back, though her voice filled Tea's ears as if her voice were amplified in surround-sound speakers.

"_You felt severe sensations of cold because your spirit is not used to being separated from your body. When you are alive, your body remains a certain temperature, 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit – the temperature that the human body functions at its full health. When your spirit is initially detached from your body, you lose that maintained temperature, and thus you feel extreme cold. You no longer have a physical brain, blood, or a beating heart."_

Tea listened, still taken aback that this was all happening and she hadn't woken up from this dream yet. Whatever she was eating before bed was about to be restricted from her diet.

"_Also, your spirit is not meant to wander the Earth without a vessel, and that is why I am here, to guide you across the skies to the Heavens, where your spirit will forever be in complete comfort and content."_

The Heavens. That was the second time in the same night she had heard that term. Perhaps that man she saw at Burger World really was a wandering spirit. An aimless, miserable, cold, wandering spirit. Why was he trapped on Earth without a purpose and not in the Heavens himself?

Tea began to wonder if Yami felt cold as only a spirit. And if he did, did he experience that cold through the five millennia that he was trapped inside the puzzle? Did he experience warmth again when he occupied Yugi's body?

"Una, what exactly happened to me? How did I die?"

"_An inebriated man driving a car hit you as you were crossing the street. His car was travelling at a high speed. You died instantly."_

Dwelling on that thought for a moment, Tea seemed to recall seeing headlights from her peripheral vision before she remembered blacking out and waking as a spirit. The sounds of an engine revving faster and louder as it neared her echoed in her spirit ears. It was a vague, but distressing memory that would have surely traumatized her, had she come to in a hospital bed still habituating her body.

So now, there were two options: One – she ate too much leftover steak before bed last night and her dreams are vivid and horribly morbid, as they sometimes were. She would wake up the next morning and possibly lie in bed for some odd minutes, trying to shake off the nightmare she just had.

Two – she was trapped in this surreal reality that was taking her away from her home, family, and friends. That she really was dead, now existed as a spirit, and there was no waking up to shake it all off.

"_You are quiet, my dear young spirit. What bothers you?_"

Tea thought of a new question – one that she had been curious about long before she died. It may also confirm that this all really was a dream.

"If we really are spirits departed from our bodies, and we no longer have a brain to think, reason, and conceptualize, how is it that I still have those capabilities as a spirit with no brain?"

"_The answer is simple, young one. We are all thinking, reasoning, and conceptualizing beings in the Gods' eyes. Humans are to believe that the human brain is the center and source of all intelligence and knowledge because they have been brought up to explain all phenomena with scientific reasoning. The reason why the deceased are still able to think, reason, and conceptualize, even after their brains are long useless and decayed, is that those capabilities are rooted in their very souls. And that is how the Gods created them… and you."_

Tea now pondered the sky angel's answer – as the two spirits slowly passed by Galatea, Neptune's eighth moon and ventured past the remaining five unnamed moons – and her mind led her to only one thing.

"Does that include love?" She bit her non-existent lip in anticipation of her answer.

"_Love on your planet Earth and love in the Heavens are much different things to consider. Love on Earth is a hormonal attraction designed for all living things for the purpose of procreation, to keep the planet flowing with life. But love in the Heavens, my child, that is a much bigger concept. There is a reason why humans are never to explain 'true' love._

_Love, true love, comes from deep within your soul, that which does not exist for a reason other than to fill your and your partner's soul with eternal content. When a deceased being says 'I love you' to another in the Heavens, that is true love meant to last an eternity."_

It was clearer now, how Tea felt for the young former pharaoh of Egypt. On Earth, she was more than likely swept into the societal need to mate and procreate. But hopefully, if she were to ever see him again, she could know for sure if love, _true_ love only found in the recesses of one's soul and harnessed in the Heavens, could exist between them.

-To Be Continued-


	5. With a Bready Texture

**Chapter 5**

It was 4:36am when Grandpa Motou and Yugi finally retired home to the Game Shop. Grandpa's face and eyes were quite red; however Yugi's were to a much higher degree, not to mention swollen and tired. The emotion flowing through him was immeasurable and overwhelming. The chill from her corpse still lingered on his arms, hands, and fingers, and he wondered if it would ever go away.

His kind heart burned with immense fury at the man who took his best friend away from him – the drunken man driving the car that hit her. The police took him away, which wasn't usually as much of a fuss since the man was much too intoxicated to make a successful getaway. But Yugi wanted to watch him crumble into a million pieces after he was crushed by the gravity of his grave error of judgment. He wanted him to feebly attempt to apologize only to receive a cold, unforgiving stare. He wanted to ask, "How dare you take a life so innocent and sweet, so full of life, so full of potential?" followed by brief insults such as "you worthless piece of shit" and "you don't deserve to live".

These were very uncharacteristically negative emotions that Yugi was feeling, wanting to tear the man apart by his words. As far as all his friends knew, Yugi was the biggest peace advocate out of anyone they knew. He was sweet, loving, affectionate, and extremely caring, despite the misfortunes of his life. He was neither physically nor verbally aggressive, nor did he fantasize of being that way to someone, either.

He doesn't feel like the same person anymore. His mind and heart had succumbed to thoughts of hatred.

Yugi lied down on his bed without even bothering with the covers, grappling the pillow with his arms and letting his head sink into the pillow's depths.

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><p>The violently negative emotions faded throughout the night, as Yugi had successfully cried himself to sleep, shedding any and all tears his body could produce for the time being. His eyes seemed to be permanently swollen and itchy. But it didn't matter what he looked like, or what he felt like, on the outside. The inside was what mattered, and the inside was in <em>ruins<em>.

What did Yugi do that condemned him to a punishment so severe as losing two of his best friends over the course of two years? How had he angered the Gods so greatly? He ran through many thoughts in his head, and this one kept returning to the forefront. Neither person deserved to die; they were very noble, kind-hearted, and brave. Both of them.

The shining sun was what caused him to awaken, meaning that he had most definitely missed his final exam. The exam that he and Tea were supposed to take and study for together.

Why even go to school anyway? People were just going to bother him with the usual 'are you okay's and 'I'm sorry's that were typically given to those who were mourning. He felt as if whenever he was asked such questions, he was reliving the trauma of when he saw his best childhood friend's motionless body on the street less than a block from his house. Or, perhaps, when he was forced to let go of her so that they can finally pull the tarp over her body, pronouncing her dead. No matter how well-meaning the questions were, they would always lead back to those thoughts. So, as he had reasoned when he turned off his alarm, it was best to avoid interaction altogether. Even if that meant he had to miss one lousy test.

A gentle, hesitant knocking on his door briefly interrupted his thoughts. "Yugi?" called an elderly voice.

Yugi sat still and made no noise. He didn't want to be bothered, even by his grandfather. The other times he knocked earlier Yugi also ignored, and Grandpa usually gave up and left him be for a little while longer. This time, however, he was most persistent.

"Yugi, I know you're awake. It's almost 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Your friends have been calling the shop phone for you all day."

Yugi grumbled. He didn't want to deal with talking to people at the moment. "Just ignore them."

"Yugi, I know you're upset, but… erm… Joey and Tristan said they're coming over."

Yugi wiped his eyes of the tears' crusty residue. He knew his friends would be there to support him no matter what. It really was the truth. He knew that without them, these losses would have surely ridden his life completely empty. So, maybe their company won't be such a terrible thing at the moment after all.

"Just send them up here when they get here. Thanks Grandpa."

"We're already here, kiddo." It was Tristan's voice this time.

The door was immediately opened. Yugi didn't bother to even sit up; he just watched with tired eyes as Joey and Tristan entered his room. He refused to believe he had the strength to at least acknowledge them. He didn't care. He didn't care about anything.

"Yugi…" Joey's voice trailed off, obviously full of uncharacteristically emotional tone. Yugi met his eyes, and noticed how tired they were. Tristan's were, too. Their faces seemed to be holding back a tsunami of emotions. They both had been crying.

They all had been crying.

"We brought ya your favorite donut – glazed with chocolate sprinkles. I know it won't do anythin' magical, but at least it tastes good, and food usually makes me feel betta'." He tossed the brown paper bag towards Yugi; it hit the edge of the bed and fell to the floor.

His once favorite treat, sweet and heartwarming, suddenly tasted like nothing. Nothing – with a bready texture. "Thanks."

* * *

><p>Una and spirit of Tea had passed many galaxies, planets, moons, and stars. The whole of the universe was like nothing Tea had ever seen. Everything had its own celestial beauty to it. Una had led her to a small portal on an unnamed moon on an unnamed planet, in an undiscovered galaxy, trillions of light years from the Milky Way. The doorway, she figured, led to her destination – the Heavens.<p>

"_This is where I shall leave you. Here you shall be judged by the mighty Gods, for they are the Gods who created you."_

Tea quickly turned around to thank her, and perhaps ask further questions, and was greeted by Una's faceless presence fading into the wilderness of space they had crossed.

"_I wish you a joyous and blissful rest of eternity."_

And just like that, Sky Angel Una was before her no more, vanishing completely from sight.

Tea's mind was still in limbo from everything that had occurred since her accident on planet Earth, and wondered if she was in a coma somewhere, dreaming up this vivid and preposterous fantasy, while doctors are desperately trying to keep her alive and her friends waiting anxiously in the waiting room. Or perhaps, she was still in her bed at home, and there was no accident at all, and all that had also been a part of this freakish, surreal nightmare.

Never had her imagination been able to reach far corners of the universe like this. The mind was a truly powerful thing.

Concluding her thoughts on the matter, she stepped into the portal bursting with light, and found herself walking on the rough, warm sand of Ancient Egypt.

The fact that the feeling sensation had returned to her body had remained in the back of her mind, for before her were two colossal pyramids, side by side, with a single entrance on each front. However, those were not particularly what held her attention, for standing in front of the pyramids was a certain goddess Tea recognized, of whom was created by the infusion of the three almighty Egyptian Gods. It was Horakhty, the Goddess of Light.

"_You have a choice to make, Tea Gardner."_

-TO BE CONTINUED-


	6. Choices

**Look how cool I am, finally finding time to sit down and delve into my story for once.**

**Spread the word, please, I could use as much feedback as possible.**

**Thank you in advance for reading/reviewing/favoriting.**

**ALG**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

"_You have a choice to make, Tea Gardner."_

The Goddess of Light and representative of the three Egyptian Gods, Horakhty, stood before Tea, nearly 10 feet tall, amidst an aura of brilliant glowing white. Her golden headdress posed high above her head, gleaming in the flood of light. Her face was of pure perfection – beauty not found in an angel, but a goddess.

Her hands were posed on either side of her, not showing any preference to either pyramid behind her.

Horakhty's voice was just as beautiful and smooth as Una's, although perhaps more motherly.

"_You have lived a life of purity and goodness. You have committed countless good deeds for the sake of your planet Earth. For this, you are granted entry into the afterlife, the Heavens, where belong the Deceased of Good Will. Your spirit will live on forever in a place where you will always be loved and cared for by the Gods who created you, and you will be able to find and reconnect with ones you know who have already passed on._

"_However, you also have another choice. Oftentimes people who have passed on have an undying attachment to those they had left behind in the Land of the Living, and wish to remain on Planet Earth so that they can be there with them, without their knowledge or awareness._

"_The choice is yours, Tea. To your left is the pyramid that will take you to the Heavens, where you will live with the Gods. There whom will await you will be yours to find out._

_To your right is the pyramid that will take you back whence you came, to the planet Earth you once called your home, where your family and friends still reside. There you would remain a wandering spirit with no vessel, watching over your loved ones. The choice is yours, Tea, but choose wisely, for once you choose your own path, you may never return."_

Tea thought Una's first appearance and monologue were scary enough – this was beyond terrifying. She had to choose to either go back home where her loved ones could not see her, hear her, or acknowledge her, or cross over to the afterlife without them?

Both decisions seem equal in their pros and cons. Pros and cons that would ultimately decide her fate for the rest of eternity – forever.

On the one hand, Tea could step through that door that sent her to everyone's ideal afterlife, one full of blissful perfection. Unfortunately, she had no idea what exactly lied inside that pyramid, what the Heavens were actually like. Her friends, who were always by her side no matter what, wouldn't be with her after all. This uncertainty – this unfamiliarity – proved to be a rather large deterrent.

On the other hand, she could go back home, exactly where she was before she died. She could be with her family and friends again. For as long as they lived, she would be their ghost, and nothing else could separate her from them until _they_ died.

And then she remembered – the old man who visited her at work the night of her death. The lonely spirit wandering aimlessly without a purpose, lost and lonely. He had no one else to watch over – they all had died, and he could never reunite with them in the Heavens. He was bound to watch the Earth evolve through the millennia, with no one else he knew of to know he existed. He must have been deceased for so long. Such a painful separation sounded unbearable… unfathomable.

It was, by a long mile, the most difficult decision she ever was forced to make, especially so abruptly, with so much on the line. Her constant tumbling emotions kept trying to make the decision for her, but she knew if she allowed that to happen, she would end up making the wrong decision, dooming her to an eternal life she misled herself to choose. Instead, she chose to listen to her heart.

The heart in her soul, that is. Her physical heart was no longer beating.

Her heart said nothing, but formulated an image in Tea's mind, one that would convince her that this was the right choice to make, to leave her friends and family to live on planet Earth, without her.

Two figures, facing away, hand in hand and staring off into the forever-expanding atmosphere of soft white clouds and continuous light. The figure on the right was a tall, slim brunette young woman in a long, flowing white dress. The figure on the left was also tall and slim, but more toned and masculine, in traditional Egyptian garb, fit for a King and Savior of Egypt. The top of its head was similar to that of a starfish, protruding outwards in five triangular spikes.

It was the picture of perfection, happiness, content, warmth… love.

Tea's spiritual heart rang with warm tingles and affection. She knew what her heart was telling her, somehow. This was its vision. And she chose to follow it, without further doubt in her mind.

"I have made my decision," stated Tea, voice slightly uneven, due to the gravity of the ultimatum she was facing. She stared Horakhty straight in her eyes. "I am ready to go to the Heavens."

"_Tea, be sure that this is your choice. You are aware that you may never return, once you have chosen your destiny."_

Tea nodded. If she could breathe, her breath would be extremely shaky. "Yes, this is my choice."

The great Goddess of Light bowed her mighty head, stepping to the right, revealing the golden path to the leftmost pyramid. The single entryway lit up, as if waiting for Tea.

"_You may go, and may your eternal life be everything your heart has ever wished for."_

To assure that she would not change her mind, Tea quickened her pace as she briskly walked towards the door of the pyramid calling out to her heart, promising the vision it had produced in her head. The closer she came to the light, the warmer it became, and a beautiful feeling of happiness washed over her, as if it were a large ocean wave. There was never a time on Earth when she felt any happier than that moment, entering the Heavens, the world where they reward good-doers.

Tea was a beautiful person – she _felt_ like a beautiful person. Every part of her soul was glowing.

"This is it, I'm going to Heaven…"

And the first thing she saw, before stepping through the door, ahead of her, was an outstretched hand.

Tea traced the hand up the arm, to the person it was attached to, and her heart was delighted to see him again. She placed her hand in his, a smile on her face radiating of the purest happiness.

"Tea, I am so glad to see you again. Allow me to escort you to the afterlife?"

The young Tea Gardner nodded, staring into his stunning violet eyes, speechless.

-TO BE CONTINUED-


	7. Cloudlight

I hope you guys forgive me for being a douche about this story. Here is the long, long awaited Chapter 7. I hope to actually finish this.

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

Bio350, Yugi's last class for the day, ended at 3:00pm, but the clock hands seemed to be fixed on something around 2:05pm and refusing to move any further. It was mild torture to endure an hour and a half of biology lecture when there was an empty seat between Yugi and Joey, where Téa usually sat. No one in the class dared sit in it.

At the very beginning of class, nearly thirty minutes ago, the biology professor announced the passing of their classmate, Téa Gardner. Thankfully, he left out the details. And then he suggested they all bow their heads and send a prayer for her friends and family, in which lasted roughly fifteen seconds.

Fifteen_ freaking _seconds_._ That was apparently all the time it took to fully acknowledge the greatness that was she. The amazing and kind person that she was. The way she would always volunteer to share her notes with someone who missed class, or offer her phone number for help outside of class. The questions she asked the professor of which baffled everyone in her remarkable intelligence. Her bright smile, scent of a jasmine flower garden, smooth brunette hair with the texture of melted chocolate, her blue eyes that glittered like sparkling sapphire when something delighted her. The memory of her still lived on in the hearts of that small class of twenty five community college students and its professor, but it seemed that the lecture was more important.

While Joey and Tristan normally resorted to short tempered verbal (and occasionally physical) aggressiveness when angry, Yugi was the type to become absolutely silent, simmering inside with acidic fury that crashed like lightning over a storming ocean within his walls, while wearing nothing but what appeared to be a slightly agitated frown. And at this moment, he was very, very angry. In fact, he could not recall a time he felt this much anger. Rational or irrational, sadness or frustration, it was all blurring together like a melting pot. He didn't feel like himself anymore. Far from himself, actually.

It had only taken three days since the accident for the Gardner family to recover enough to finalize funeral plans, which was damn near _remarkable_. The memorial service would be held that Sunday morning, in four days, as explained by a weepy Mrs. Gardner on the phone to Yugi last night. It was going to be at the Lady of the Angels First Church, the very church she was baptized in when she was born. Mrs. Gardner asked Yugi if she were allowed to use a few photos of him and Téa that they had kept over the years of their friendship, for the photo collage they were putting together to place at the entrance of the sanctuary. Her dance classmate was even asked to perform a short dance at the service. Everything had to be perfect for their precious little girl.

And that was why Yugi was angry. So much work, effort, money, and strong emotional will, required for the ceremonial celebration of Téa Gardner's life, and yet gravely poor judgment and the cost of the appropriate amount of booze for one stranger to take her life in the first place. Just like that. An innocent life… gone forever.

The perpetrator was being tried for reckless driving, driving while legally intoxicated, and vehicular homicide. Yugi knew this because this morning he came across the article that covered the accident on the local online news journal. If this had happened six years ago, Atem would've surely dealt that man a much, _much_ harsher and obscenely demented punishment.

Yugi led his head sink in his hands, but not before he peeked at the clock once more. 2:11pm. The minute hand was surely taking pleasure in his torment.

* * *

><p>Atem's hand had never before felt so wonderful in her own. With every step he lead her, the soft clouds beneath her embraced her feet lovingly. The very atmosphere seemed to smile down upon her and the young king. The endless clear peach-pink sky stretched on and on to who knows how far away, forever bright and beautiful.<p>

"It's been so long," said Atem. His voice warmed Téa to her to her toes, even more so than when she was alive and he was a spirit. Especially because now, he was at peace, and no longer straddled by the burden of the world's endangerment.

"Yeah," Téa uttered in response. "I've missed you so much Atem." His hand was still holding hers firmly, without having any intention of letting go. He offered her a small contented smile.

He led her through a wasteland of sorts, with puffy white cotton clouds supporting their every step on their journey. "Where are we going?" asked Téa, entranced by this new world of which she entered.

"I'm taking you to the palace, of course."

"What palace?"

Before he could answer, Téa suddenly found herself before a grandiose presentation of the (after)lifestyle of the Chosen King and Savior of Egypt. A beautiful temple whose pearl white walls reached towards the infinite skies above, with gold-rimmed awnings, gates, windows and doors, stood proudly in its excellence amidst a sea of ethereal wilderness. Its doors were already open and welcoming. There were no locks and no guards at the entrances – there was no need for protection, because no ill will roamed the Heavens.

"That one," answered Atem, and he laughed. He still held her hand.

It was clear that Téa still harbored feelings for him. The way her spirit spine melted at the warmth of his melodious laugh gave it all away.

* * *

><p>The young brunette spirit and former pharaoh of Egypt stood beside each other on the grand terrace, overlooking the expanse of the Heavens as it stretched on far beyond what her eyes could see. What she saw that she strangely didn't seem to notice before, were the other spirits dwelling and smaller white buildings that stuck out among the bed of clouds. Téa figured they were other "deceased of good will" spirits, as Sky Angel Una had mentioned earlier. The more she observed the Heavens, the more Una's explanations made sense, and the scarier it became. It actually resembled a real civilization, of sorts.<p>

"Is something bothering you, Téa?" Atem questioned innocently. His violet eyes shimmered in the glowing cloudlight. They were noticeably softer and more lighthearted than what Téa remembered he usually wore, but they've never been more beautiful.

"Um," she began, "not sure if you've noticed, but I'm dead."

Atem chuckled lightly, turning his gaze back to the scenery before him. "Not here, you're not. You are eternally alive in the Heavens."

Téa sighed. "I know. And I'm really happy about that. But…" she trailed off, a pang of sadness jerking her spirit heart.

"…but you miss your family and friends." She nodded.

"They'll get here when they get here." He laid his muscled arms on the edge, leaning casually against it. He glanced back at her. "So, why are _you_ here?"

Téa was silent for a moment – her mind reeling at the memory of seeing her own dead body in Yugi's arms, lifeless and limp, devoid of a soul. She vaguely remembered policemen, paramedics, and sirens. And headlights. And the sight of Yugi sobbing uncontrollably while cradling her corpse. And he and Grandpa Motou passing right through her like she wasn't even there.

"I was hit by a drunk driver," she grimly replied.

"Oh," he said. "I'm… sorry to hear that." There was obvious hesitation and uncertainty in his tone. Both silently agreed that neither quite knew how to discuss or address one's own death.

"It's alright, I guess. I mean, I suppose there are worse places to end up in than the Heavens, right?"

"I suppose." He smiled pleasantly at her. "Well, in any case, it's always nice to see you, Téa."

She offered him a bright, lovely smile in return. "Thanks Atem. I'm so happy to see you too. If only I could tell Yu-"

She stopped mid-sentence, suddenly remembering her friends back home – Yugi, Joey, and Tristan. How were _they_ faring with this new tragedy? If there was one thing their friendship and multiple escapades around the world fighting ancient evil taught them all, it was finding strength in unity. They still had each other, as far as she knew. As long as they stuck together, there wasn't a single obstacle that could conquer them.

The image of Yugi breaking down in the street in the middle of the night, holding her dead body against him, drowning in headlights and sirens, forever burned in her mind. Yugi was probably the one she worried about most. He had become so much stronger since Atem was in his life, but her friendship with him went back to when they were still both biking on training wheels together. Yugi was even there with her when she received the letter from the Julliard School in New York, announcing that she had made it past the pre-screens and was invited to perform a live audition.

She wondered how her parents were doing, as well. Her father was often complacent and unemotional, while her mother fretted over the most minuscule of issues and wore her frustrations on her sleeve. Her old basset hound, Charlie, was rather affectionate with everyone in the family, and knew right away if something wasn't right in the household. Her spirit heart ached fiercely. She missed them all immensely.

Her hand was taken again. Atem wordlessly lead her off the terrace into a long, hollow hallway, briskly pulling her along.

"Atem, whe-"

"I have something to show you. You may or may not be prepared for it, but in any case, do not speak a word of this to anyone. Understand?"

Téa hastily nodded. She should be used to surprises by now.

-TO BE CONTINUED-


	8. The Magic Chamber

**Sorry y'all. This was a difficult chapter for me. Hopefully it will provide a smooth proper transition into the fun stuff. Of course by "fun" I mean a Costco-sized bulk of angst.**

**Enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

It was a long and suspenseful journey down the marble hallways of the palace. Atem's grip on Téa's hand was firmer with a sense of urgency, much different from the gentle coercing from before, on their brief journey to the palace. Atem seemed more serious now, more like she remembered him from when they dwelled on Earth and when he was plagued with keeping the Earth and its innocents from their demise – again and again and again.

Téa couldn't help but wonder what she 'may or may not be prepared for' that Atem was intent on showing her anyway, and her inquiries were only met with silence or "you'll see". She knew one thing – she was _not_ prepared to see her life's end, travel through space with a sky angel, meeting the Goddess of Light and facing the ultimatum of entering the Heavens or returning to Earth as an invisible spirit, or seeing Atem again. Or, really, anything that had happened in-between. It seemed to happen all at once with no time to process. Téa wondered if anything could shock her anymore.

They came upon the quarters of the High Priests, the six former wielders of the Millennium Items and hailed heroes of Egypt. Mahaad and Seto were casually conversing merely a few yards ahead of them in the corridor. They noticed her and Atem approaching and both bowed in his presence.

"My King," said Mahaad.

Atem nodded at each of them in return. "Mahaad, Seto."

"What brings you here, majesty?" asked Seto. He sounded much lighter and friendlier in his tone than what Téa remembered.

"Isis, I need to see Isis. Is she nearby?"

Mahaad nodded. "Yes my king, I last saw her in the Magic Chamber. Shall I fetch her?"

"No, that will not be necessary. I shall visit her myself."

"Is everything alright, majesty?" questioned Seto.

The spirit king glanced at Téa, ostensibly considering bothering with the whole of the truth. He shook his head ever so quickly and briefly, as if to dismiss that thought. It wasn't important enough to delay his mission. "Yes, thank you."

It wasn't until then that both Mahaad and Seto seemed to notice Téa's presence. Seto glanced at their intertwined hands and made eye contact with her.

"My apologies, m'lady. I am rude to have ignored your presence. I am Priest Mahaad, and this is Priest Seto."

Téa vaguely recognized the both of them as members of his court. She also remembered seeing Seto's carving on the giant stone tablet at the Domino Museum. Mahaad bore a striking resemblance to the Dark Magician, though he was dressed in standard priest magician robes.

"This is Lady Téa," introduced Atem. He regarded her with a wide grin and a proud gleam in his eyes that didn't seem out of character, but was softly endearing, as he occasionally was. "She has helped me countless times since I've known her and she's one of my dearest friends. She is also largely responsible for the salvation of Egypt."

'_Friends'. Even in the Heavens I am friend-zoned. _Though Téa had her own reservations of the semantics used, she did not forget that he regarded her as a 'lady'. That was truly an honor she appreciated.

Both priests bowed before her, making Téa shift uncomfortably on her feet. No one had ever bowed to her before. "Lady Téa, we offer you our gratitude, for your loyalty and service to our King and the land of Egypt. May you find solace in the Afterlife."

Téa cast a nervous glance at Atem. What was she supposed to do, or say? How does one respond to such a thing? To her surprise, Atem stifled a laugh. "Uhh…" she stuttered, struggling for anything, _anything_ to come out, "yeah, you're welcome…?" was the best she could come up with. Atem lightly tugged at her hand again.

"We will go find Isis. Take care." The priests bowed once more and, with a _swoosh_ of his navy blue cape, Atem and Téa were bustling down the corridor as before, with their brisk footsteps pattering lightly down the hall. Finally, Atem stopped at the last door on the right. The door was made of thick mahogany-like material, only pearly white in color, to match the walls of the palace. The doorknob was fringed with gold. The pharaoh knocked lightly.

A few seconds went by, and Téa wondered if she could use this opportunity to question him further. But as she opened her mouth to speak, the door before them swung open and a rather bright and cheery Isis greeted them. As she was such a woman of mystery and, like Atem, was inundated by the burdens of the Millennium Items' dark powers, the fact that she was not even close to sulking threw Téa off already.

The Magic Chamber eerily resembled a large confinement room, like perhaps in a mental hospital. Like everything in the palace, the walls were white like pearls. The only thing that kept the walls from bareness were the few shelves holding extremely thick spellbooks, many papyrus scrolls, and four different types of magical staffs mounted directly next to the shelves. There were smaller staffs – wands more likely – lined up next to those as well. It looked something like a modest magician's quarter.

Atem noticed Téa's curious gazes. "This is Mahaad's favorite room, unsurprisingly," he explained to her. "Mana likes to come here, too. They can both practice their magic here."

Meanwhile, Isis was seated by a large, circular opening in the middle of the floor, spanning possibly five feet in diameter. It had short walls surrounding it, much like a well. Isis's hands hovered over it guardedly.

"I apologize to have interrupted you, Priest Isis, but I must ask something of you," Atem said to the priestess. "There is a Spell that can allow us to view the Land of the Living through the Sorcerer's Well. Can you do it?"

_The Land of the Living? _Téa questioned in her mind. _Like, Planet Earth? Where my family and friends are?_

Isis nodded. "Yes, my King. It is not an easy spell, but it's within my capabilities. If I may ask what it is you need it for?"

Rather than directly answering the question, Atem nodded politely and asked to be excused, and pulled Téa to a far corner of the room. Though Isis could still hear them, she was more focused on the preliminary preparations for the spell he asked for, retrieving a scroll from one of the shelves and laying it beside her on the floor. Atem looked hard into Téa's eyes, his amethyst orbs ensnaring her undivided attention. "Téa, you do know that I treasure you as a friend and that I would do anything in my power to make you happy, correct?"

"Yes," Téa hesitantly replied. She felt so out of her element that there was not much more she could think to say.

"Then please heed my warning. What I'm about to show you is a glimpse of the world you left behind. You'll be able to watch over your family, friends, anyone and anything on Earth."

He ceased to continue, allowing Téa to ponder this thought to herself. Watch over her family and friends, the most important people to her in her short life on Earth – those people she missed immensely, even if she had only just entered the Heavens? Did she even want to know how they're faring without her – if they'd moved on, what they're doing with their lives? Or… her biggest fear… that they'd forgotten her by now?

"What's the catch?" she finally asked.

Atem heaved a heavy sigh, seemingly burdened by the words to come next. "The spell is not strong enough for the visual allowance to last long. It might be shorter than you want it. And… not everyone is, well, _ready_ for this sort of thing.

I guess I just wanted to give you an option. Do you want to see?"

Slowly but surely, she could bring her head to nod. It didn't matter what the viewing might do to her. She needed to know. Most of all, she wanted to check on Yugi, no matter how much it could, and would, pain her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I am sure."

Atem nodded, accepting her answer. By the hand once more, he took her to the well where Isis was seated and chanting quietly. She gestured for Téa to come look into the well before her. Her spirit heart pricked with nerves, Téa gazed into the well to find herself in Domino City, hovering above it. She had an aerial view of a horde of people, young and old, all very somber-looking. It took her a second, but she finally recognized her 7-year-old cousin Matthew, trotting obediently behind her Aunt Janine. As she continued to look, she could see her family, from near and far, one by one step through the open doors. They were all dressed in nice dresses and clean tuxedos, and ironed dress shirts. With a doleful cry from within her spirit heart, Téa noticed a dressed up Yugi come out of his grandfather's parked '95 Volkswagon, holding flowers as Solomon gently ushered him along. She realized where she was.

5580 Pleasant Street.

The Lady of the Angels First Church.

Her funeral.

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
